All 60 St. Kitts-Nevis students in Taiwan safe after earthquake

H.E. Ambassador Jasmine Huggins (pictured at front centre) with nationals and students from St. Kitts and Nevis who live in Taiwan. Every year, the Embassy of St. Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of China (Taiwan) hosts events such as a luncheon and church service to commemorate St. Kitts and Nevis' independence.

H.E. Ambassador Huggins welcomes the students each year, encouraging them to devote themselves to their studies and take the time to connect with their fellow Kittitians and Nevisians through activities that are hosted by the embassy and the Association of St. Kitts and Nevis nationals in Taiwan.H.E. Ambassador Jasmine Huggins (pictured at front centre) with nationals and students from St. Kitts and Nevis who live in Taiwan. Every year, the Embassy of St. Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of China (Taiwan) hosts events such as a luncheon and church service to commemorate St. Kitts and Nevis’ independence.

All 60 St. Kitts-Nevis students in Taiwan safe after earthquake

By Valencia Grant, press secretary to the prime minister of St. Kitts and Nevis

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – All 60 students from St. Kitts and Nevis studying in cities across Taiwan are safe, says Her Excellency Jasmine Huggins, St. Kitts and Nevis’ resident ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan). The students were studying in Hsinchu, Kaohsiung, Pingtung, Taipei, Taoyuan, as well as where Tuesday’s powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake was centred 14 miles northeast of the coastal city of Hualien.

In confirming that all of the students who live in and around Hualien – the area most affected by the earthquake – were unharmed, Huggins informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the federation that the St. Kitts-Nevis Embassy based in Taipei reached out to all of the students in Taiwan and had been able to speak directly with those in the affected area.

“We inquired about their well-being and safety and impressed upon them that they should follow the instructions of the local government since there are still aftershocks that may have an effect on some of the structures that were compromised,” Huggins told the press unit in the Office of the Prime Minister today, Feb. 8.

“Our students have also been advised to contact the embassy if they are in need of assistance. We are very thankful that our students are safe, but we share the heartbreak of the people of Hualien who have been adversely affected, particularly at a time so close to Chinese New Year, a time for the reunion of family and friends,” Huggins added.

Nine people are confirmed dead and eight people are still missing after Tuesday’s earthquake; 270 people were injured.

“Since I have been assured by the students here that they are safe and well, I would take this opportunity to assure their parents, loved ones and the nation at large of their well-being and ask for our citizens to hold the people of Taiwan in their prayers at this most difficult time,” Huggins added.

In a statement yesterday, St. Kitts and Nevis’ Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Timothy Harris expressed heartfelt condolences and support for the Republic of China (Taiwan) and its people.